My wife had a conference; so, I returned to Cleveland. Just like my last trip, I took the RTA light rail from the airport to downtown and the Tower City Station stop. From there it was an easy 5 minute walk to our Westin Hotel. We visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They have late hours (until 9:00 PM) on Wednesday's. The visit can last anywhere from 2 to 4 hours depending on your level of interest. We also revisited the Great Lakes Brewing Company (see below -- October 2014 post). It's still as good as the last time -- just one stop on the light rail red line toward the airport from Tower City Station. On this trip we also visited the iconic East 4th Street District (Website: http://www.east4thstreet.com/ ), which has many places to eat and hang out. We visited the Wonder Bar (Website: http://www.wonderbarcleveland.com/ ) and the Greenhouse Tavern (Website: http://www.thegreenhousetavern.com/ ). We liked the Greenhouse for it's rooftop bar that overlooked East 4th Street. Beer choices were good at both restaurants, but the wine choice was better at the Greenhouse. If you have some kids, or if you like submarines, the USS Cod is a fun visit. It's located about a 1/4 mile east of the Rock and Roll Museum. The Cod (Website: http://usscod.org/ ) offers a unique experience. For other ideas, here's a Cleveland visitor website (Website: http://www.thisiscleveland.com/about-cleveland/downtown-cleveland/ ) that contains other ideas for places to visit. Lastly, the best happy hour during our visit near downtown was at the Cleveland Chop (Website: http://clevelandchop.com/ ). Happy hour is only available in the bar from 4:00 to 7:00 PM Monday through Friday. If you're close-by, it's worth a stop!
Cleveland is a fun place to visit!
Enjoy!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mike Summers - October 2014
Cleveland is a fun city to visit. On this occasion, I did a day trip (left DEN on the 8:39 AM flight (520) and returned at 8:45 PM on flight 519. Here's the website for the airport: http://www.clevelandairport.com/default.aspx . All of the regular car rental companies have counters there. But for a day trip or for an overnight trip, you really don't need a car. The airport is served by a Light Rail Station to downtown. The Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) has trains that connect Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to the rest of the city. RTA's Red Line provides regular service between CLE and downtown Cleveland via the Tower City Station. The trip takes less than 30 minutes, and trains depart from CLE every 15 minutes for the majority of the day. I noticed that they do not necessarily keep to the published schedule. I purchased an unlimited ride fare for the day for $5.00 (It's worth it). RTA's station at CLE is located on the lower level of the main terminal. To reach the RTA station, travelers should use the elevators or escalators located in the center of the ticketing and baggage claim levels. RTA Website: http://www.riderta.com/ . Just follow the signs from the Gate. I like using Hotwire.com for booking a hotel, but I didn't spend the night on this trip. Here's a visitor's guide website: http://www.positivelycleveland.com/ . The Cleveland Indians baseball park is Progressive Field. Here's directions to get there by car: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/cle/ballpark/directions_parking/index.jsp?content=directions_parking and by public transit: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/cle/ballpark/directions_parking/index.jsp?content=public_transit . Q Arena, home of the Cavaliers NBA Basketball Team is right next door to the baseball stadium. Browns Stadium (First Energy Stadium) is on the waterfront. Also in Cleveland near Browns Stadium is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: (Website: http://rockhall.com/ ), which was my destination on this trip. Here's some information about getting to the Rock Hall of Fame: (Website: http://rockhall.com/visit-the-museum/plan/getting-there/ ) which is located on E. 9th Avenue near Lake Erie. I took the blue line (or green line) Trolley from the Tower City Station westbound to get to the Hall of Fame. I spent two hours there, and I could have stayed a little longer. They have a variety of exhibits that I enjoyed. It made for a really nice day trip. As for eating, just west of downtown is the Great Lakes Brewing Company (Website: http://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/ ). I took the blue/green Trolley from the Hall of Fame back to Tower City Station; then I took the Red Line Train toward the airport, but got off at the first stop (W.25-Ohio City) and walked two blocks to the Brewing Company. I did Google Earth the night before to 'see' the neighborhood before flying. Cleveland also hosts its own Chophouse Restaurant just like the ones in Denver and Boulder (Website: http://www.chophouse.com/ ). Ten minutes directley south of the Canton-Akron Airport on Interstate 77 is the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Website: http://www.profootballhof.com/default.aspx ) with its many items dedicated to football. Because of our flight schedule, you need to make this a one-night or two-night trip, but it's a fun place to visit.
Enjoy!
Mike Summers
Ann Rutkofsky - May 2012:
My husband and I took a trip in early May, 2012, to New York State. We flew in and drove a big loop to Cooperstown, NY (Baseball Hall of Fame (Website: http://baseballhall.org/ )), Seneca Falls (Women's Rights Hall of Fame (Website: http://www.greatwomen.org/ )), Niagara Falls (Website: http://www.niagara-usa.com/ ), and lastly to Cleveland (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame). It took 8 days and we had a great time. In Canton, we visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame and McKinley's Presidential Library (Website: http://www.mckinleymuseum.org/ ). We also had some time to explore the Amish area around there - good food, shops, etc. After we left Akron, we spent a night in Jamestown, NY, which is the home of Lucille Ball - museum, etc. Website for Jamestown, NY: http://discoverjamestown.com/ . It is also just 6 miles from the original Chautauqua Institute, founded in 1874 - you may know of Chautauqua near Boulder (Website: http://www.ciweb.org/ ). The area between there and Cooperstown includes the Finger Lakes. We drove around Seneca Lake (Website for Finger Lakes: http://www.fingerlakes.org/ ). The southern tip is the site of the racetrack, Watkins Glen (Website: http://www.theglen.com/?homepage=true ). Seneca Falls, besides having a National Parks Museum for Women's Rights, is considered the town which Bedford Falls was patterned after in the movie, It's a Wonderful Life, with Jimmy Stewart. The area around Niagara Falls has become wine country. The falls are spectacular, but the actual town is very commercialized. A short distance north of it is a lovely little town called Niagara on the Lake - very picturesque (Website: http://www.niagaraonthelake.com/page/Featured_Events). We spent one night in Buffalo (Website: http://www.visitbuffaloniagara.com/ ) and went to a great place called Pearl St. Pub and Grill (Website: http://www.pearlstreetgrill.com/index.html ) which has ties to the Wynkoop in Denver.
Enjoy!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cleveland Wikitravel Website: http://wikitravel.org/en/Cleveland,_Ohio
Cleveland Downtown Wikitravel Website: http://wikitravel.org/en/Cleveland/Downtown
Canton Wikitravel Website: http://wikitravel.org/en/Canton_(Ohio)
Niagara Falls Wikitravel Website: http://wikitravel.org/en/Niagara_Falls_(New_York)
Seneca Falls (NY) Wikitravel Website: http://wikitravel.org/en/Seneca_Falls_(New_York)
Mike Summers - October 2017
My wife had a conference; so, I returned to Cleveland. Just like my last trip, I took the RTA light rail from the airport to downtown and the Tower City Station stop. From there it was an easy 5 minute walk to our Westin Hotel. We visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They have late hours (until 9:00 PM) on Wednesday's. The visit can last anywhere from 2 to 4 hours depending on your level of interest. We also revisited the Great Lakes Brewing Company (see below -- October 2014 post). It's still as good as the last time -- just one stop on the light rail red line toward the airport from Tower City Station. On this trip we also visited the iconic East 4th Street District (Website: http://www.east4thstreet.com/ ), which has many places to eat and hang out. We visited the Wonder Bar (Website: http://www.wonderbarcleveland.com/ ) and the Greenhouse Tavern (Website: http://www.thegreenhousetavern.com/ ). We liked the Greenhouse for it's rooftop bar that overlooked East 4th Street. Beer choices were good at both restaurants, but the wine choice was better at the Greenhouse. If you have some kids, or if you like submarines, the USS Cod is a fun visit. It's located about a 1/4 mile east of the Rock and Roll Museum. The Cod (Website: http://usscod.org/ ) offers a unique experience. For other ideas, here's a Cleveland visitor website (Website: http://www.thisiscleveland.com/about-cleveland/downtown-cleveland/ ) that contains other ideas for places to visit. Lastly, the best happy hour during our visit near downtown was at the Cleveland Chop (Website: http://clevelandchop.com/ ). Happy hour is only available in the bar from 4:00 to 7:00 PM Monday through Friday. If you're close-by, it's worth a stop!
Cleveland is a fun place to visit!
Enjoy!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Summers - October 2014
Cleveland is a fun city to visit. On this occasion, I did a day trip (left DEN on the 8:39 AM flight (520) and returned at 8:45 PM on flight 519. Here's the website for the airport: http://www.clevelandairport.com/default.aspx . All of the regular car rental companies have counters there. But for a day trip or for an overnight trip, you really don't need a car. The airport is served by a Light Rail Station to downtown. The Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) has trains that connect Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to the rest of the city. RTA's Red Line provides regular service between CLE and downtown Cleveland via the Tower City Station. The trip takes less than 30 minutes, and trains depart from CLE every 15 minutes for the majority of the day. I noticed that they do not necessarily keep to the published schedule. I purchased an unlimited ride fare for the day for $5.00 (It's worth it). RTA's station at CLE is located on the lower level of the main terminal. To reach the RTA station, travelers should use the elevators or escalators located in the center of the ticketing and baggage claim levels. RTA Website: http://www.riderta.com/ . Just follow the signs from the Gate. I like using Hotwire.com for booking a hotel, but I didn't spend the night on this trip. Here's a visitor's guide website: http://www.positivelycleveland.com/ . The Cleveland Indians baseball park is Progressive Field. Here's directions to get there by car: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/cle/ballpark/directions_parking/index.jsp?content=directions_parking and by public transit:
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/cle/ballpark/directions_parking/index.jsp?content=public_transit . Q Arena, home of the Cavaliers NBA Basketball Team is right next door to the baseball stadium. Browns Stadium (First Energy Stadium) is on the waterfront. Also in Cleveland near Browns Stadium is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: (Website: http://rockhall.com/ ), which was my destination on this trip. Here's some information about getting to the Rock Hall of Fame: (Website: http://rockhall.com/visit-the-museum/plan/getting-there/ ) which is located on E. 9th Avenue near Lake Erie. I took the blue line (or green line) Trolley from the Tower City Station westbound to get to the Hall of Fame. I spent two hours there, and I could have stayed a little longer. They have a variety of exhibits that I enjoyed. It made for a really nice day trip. As for eating, just west of downtown is the Great Lakes Brewing Company (Website: http://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/ ). I took the blue/green Trolley from the Hall of Fame back to Tower City Station; then I took the Red Line Train toward the airport, but got off at the first stop (W.25-Ohio City) and walked two blocks to the Brewing Company. I did Google Earth the night before to 'see' the neighborhood before flying. Cleveland also hosts its own Chophouse Restaurant just like the ones in Denver and Boulder (Website: http://www.chophouse.com/ ). Ten minutes directley south of the Canton-Akron Airport on Interstate 77 is the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Website: http://www.profootballhof.com/default.aspx ) with its many items dedicated to football. Because of our flight schedule, you need to make this a one-night or two-night trip, but it's a fun place to visit.
Enjoy!
Mike Summers
Ann Rutkofsky - May 2012:
My husband and I took a trip in early May, 2012, to New York State. We flew in and drove a big loop to Cooperstown, NY (Baseball Hall of Fame (Website: http://baseballhall.org/ )), Seneca Falls (Women's Rights Hall of Fame (Website:
http://www.greatwomen.org/ )), Niagara Falls (Website: http://www.niagara-usa.com/ ), and lastly to Cleveland (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame). It took 8 days and we had a great time. In Canton, we visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame and McKinley's Presidential Library (Website: http://www.mckinleymuseum.org/ ). We also had some time to explore the Amish area around there - good food, shops, etc. After we left Akron, we spent a night in Jamestown, NY, which is the home of Lucille Ball - museum, etc. Website for Jamestown, NY:
http://discoverjamestown.com/ . It is also just 6 miles from the original Chautauqua Institute, founded in 1874 - you may know of Chautauqua near Boulder (Website: http://www.ciweb.org/ ). The area between there and Cooperstown includes the Finger Lakes. We drove around Seneca Lake (Website for Finger Lakes: http://www.fingerlakes.org/ ). The southern tip is the site of the racetrack, Watkins Glen (Website:
http://www.theglen.com/?homepage=true ). Seneca Falls, besides having a National Parks Museum for Women's Rights, is considered the town which Bedford Falls was patterned after in the movie, It's a Wonderful Life, with Jimmy Stewart. The area around Niagara Falls has become wine country. The falls are spectacular, but the actual town is very commercialized. A short distance north of it is a lovely little town called Niagara on the Lake - very picturesque (Website: http://www.niagaraonthelake.com/page/Featured_Events). We spent one night in Buffalo (Website: http://www.visitbuffaloniagara.com/ ) and went to a great place called Pearl St. Pub and Grill (Website: http://www.pearlstreetgrill.com/index.html ) which has ties to the Wynkoop in Denver.
Enjoy!